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City of Lafayette, CA
05/25/2023 | News release | Distributed by Public on 05/25/2023 10:53
Almost Daily Briefing, May 25, 2023
The Almost Daily Briefing
Published news articles from local, regional, and national media on topics of interest to the #LoveLafayette Community
LOCAL NEWS
Diablo's Beacon To Shine On Memorial Day; Ceremony Planned In Danville - The Beacon on Mount Diablo will be lit at Sunset on May 29, 2023, to Honor the men and women who have died while serving in the United States Military. (News 24/680)
County To Hire More Attorneys To Tackle Antioch Police Scandal - The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a $5.515 billion budget for fiscal year 2023-24, including more money for the district attorney's and public defender's offices to handle cases related to the Antioch police scandal. (Patch)
Berkeley City Council postpones decision on how it collects surveillance footage - Disagreements on camera and drone usage and how long to keep recordings are holding up the vote on surveillance policies. (Berkeleyside)
'Not what it used to be': How downtown Oakland's recovery compares to San Francisco's - Finally, three years later, hundreds of Block employees are back in the office and the Oakland hub has come to life. Shops are reopening, workers line up for lunchtime burritos, and students from the nearby Oakland School for the Arts stroll the sidewalks. But the challenges facing downtown, which has struggled for decades to attract and retain businesses of all sizes, have only become more urgent and intractable. (San Francisco Chronicle)
San Francisco households are shrinking. Here's why - Data from the state's Department of Finance shows that among large Bay Area cities, San Francisco had one of the steepest declines in people per household over the past decade. (San Francisco Chronicle)
HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAMORINDA WEEKLY - www.lamorindaweekly.com
Lafayette's 2nd Annual Community Day right around the corner - Following last year's successful Lafayette Community Day - where hundreds of community members volunteered their time on projects and activities involving human services, youth development and education, town beautification and more - the Community Foundation, the city, and the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce will once again partner for the second annual Community Day to be held Saturday, June 3.
EBMUD presents council with update on Lafayette Reservoir Tower - The city council on May 8 heard an update on the Lafayette Reservoir Tower Seismic Retrofit Project. Presented by a team of directors and engineers from East Bay Municipal Utility District, director John A. Coleman said feedback received from the council and members of the pubic in response to the report given in January was appreciated. He and his department agreed with many points concerning the tower's aesthetics and said the design team's new ideas had drawn inspiration from the community and had led to implementing some of them in the updated designs.
'Detail' design review of Pleasant Hill Road Pathway Project to move forward - During the May 8 Lafayette City Council meeting, Engineering Services Manager Matt Luttropp gave an update regarding the Pleasant Hill Road Center Median Pathway and requested authorization for staff to complete the design with the preservation of the dedicated right turn lane and drop-off area, per the city's commitment to Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan who helped secure a grant for the project. The purpose of approving the design completion is not to move into the construction phase, Luttropp said, but work toward having plans shovel ready to be in the best position possible to compete for future grants.
Community members offer counter protest outside Lafayette Elementary School - Those who traveled down Moraga Road on May 19 to fetch their children from Lafayette Elementary School were greeted with bouquets of rainbow-colored balloons, rainbow pride flags and more than a dozen people offering affirmative messages of support for students of all gender identities and LGBTQ+ youth.
Town Council agrees to a Biennial Budget - By switching to a biennial budget, staff will only have to prepare one budget document for two separate fiscal years. Additionally, staff will produce a "mid-cycle budget review" for the town council's attention which will contain a summary of the estimated first fiscal year results, along with recommended budget adjustments for the second fiscal year. None of this will affect the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) which will continue on an annual basis.
Summer Bike Challenge - Good for you, good for the air - Although the Summer Bike Challenge may sound like a new activity, it has been around since 2015, when it first began in Pleasant Hill as a youth bike challenge. Over the years it has evolved into an activity that can include the whole family. Launched by 511 Contra Costa, this year's challenge still has the same theme in mind, to "get you outside and on the move."
Property owners reminded to meet exterior hazard and fuel break requirements - The official start of fire season begins June 1, and the Moraga-Orinda Fire District is reminding property owners about the need to adhere to Moraga-Orinda Ordinances 23.03 and 23.04 by focusing on fire abatement strategies in the three zones surrounding homes.
Orinda Council is interested in inclusionary housing ordinance, but not yet there - After lengthy discussion, Orinda decided that it is not yet ready to join neighbors Lafayette, Moraga and Walnut Creek in adopting an inclusionary ordinance but does want to look at the matter further. Inclusionary housing programs are policies adopted by cities and counties in California to stimulate affordable housing production whenever new market-rate housing development occurs, according to the California Coalition for Rural Housing. An action item in the recently approved Housing Element said that the city would research acceptable methods of providing affordable housing.
Realtor paints curbs to help first responders find homes faster - Local realtor Kristina McCann of Chroma Realty is offering a public service of painting fresh house numbers on curbs as part of a campaign to make homes easier for first responders to find in the event of an emergency, be that fire, medical, or a crime in progress.
Bringing Back the Natives Tour features gardens in Orinda, Moraga - Barbara and Phil Leitner's garden in the Glorietta neighborhood of Orinda and the green home of Anne Chambers and Ed McAlpine in the Campolindo area of Moraga were featured in this year's Bringing Back the Natives Tour. The 2023 tour featured 55 gardens across Alameda and Contra Costa counties designed to show that native gardens are beautiful, can be designed on budget, and are critical in supporting biodiversity. Since 2005, the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, together with passionate native plant gardeners located throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties, has set the standard for sustainable landscaping in Northern California.
Cal Shakes announces lineup for 'At the Bruns' - California Shakespeare Theater (Cal Shakes) recently announced the lineup of programming for "At the Bruns," a new series showcasing music, comedy and theater, as well as a season opening picnic. Presented by Cal Shakes, "At the Bruns" is produced by outside community arts and culture organizations performing at the Bruns Memorial Amphitheater May through October 2023.
Lafayette Juniors Lifestyle Tour showcased incredible remodels - The Lafayette Juniors' Lifestyle Tour was its most successful yet, allowing the Juniors to distribute over $80,000 among their beneficiaries.
Lamorinda celebrates its graduates
Police Blotter: Lafayette Police Blotter | Moraga Police Blotter | Orinda Police Blotter
OTHER NEWS
Employees urge Cal/OSHA to set indoor heat rules - Dozens of warehouse workers, delivery drivers, restaurant employees and advocates traveled to San Diego Thursday to urge the California Occupational Safety and Health Agency to take swift action implementing an indoor heat standard. (CalMatters)
LOCAL HAPPENINGS
Memorial Day Holiday- City Administrative Offices closed on Monday
Con Fire Town Hall on Pre-Season Wildfire Preparedness
Lafayette Chamber of Commerce's Rock the Plaza summer concert series - Friday nights at Lafayette Plaza
Lafayette Planning Applications Received
City of Lafayette Major Development Projects Map
Current City of Lafayette Construction Projects
Lafayette Community Information & Emergency Radio AM 1670
HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION AND CITY PLANNING
Hines, American Realty Advisors take crucial step forward to remake Dublin's downtown - Dublin has long sought a "Main Street-style" downtown. Now developers are pursuing a project that could give the city and its residents just that. (San Francisco Business Times)
Breed, Melgar Legislation To End 'Arbitrary' Density Limits Across San Francisco - The proposal, announced on Monday by the offices of Breed and District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, would allow for more units on residential parcels without raising height limits. (San Francisco Business Times)
Property Owner's Low-Income Housing Proposal at Issue in Los Altos Hills - Because Los Altos Hills did not meet the state's deadline with its housing plan, developers can legally bypass local ordinances under the state's "builder's remedy," as long as 20% of the units are low income or all are moderate income. (NBC Bay Area)
These Bay Area officers slept in their cars to avoid crazy commutes. Now, they shack up in barracks - From San Francisco to Santa Cruz to Sonoma, elected officials are scrambling to figure out how to house essential workers who cannot work from home and don't earn enough to buy or rent in many Bay Area cities. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Dozens of Bay Area cities are poised to miss the state's second housing deadline - and face more penalties -. Bay Area cities and counties that fail to adopt a state-approved housing element by May 31 will be handed a shortened timeline for implementing the rezoning outlined by their housing elements, the blueprints cities draw up every eight years to demonstrate their ability to meet California's housing production goals. Housing elements essentially map out where, in a given jurisdiction, new housing could go; rezoning, in which local zoning codes are modified to allow the quantity and kinds of homes proposed by the housing element, opens the door for that housing to become a reality. (San Francisco Business Journal)
Santa Ana seeks exemption from two state housing laws - The City of Santa Ana wants to skirt state housing laws-AB 2011 and SB 6-that allow residential development on sites zoned for commercial use with little input from local planners. (The Real Deal)
Coastal Restaurants Ordered to Replace Parking Taken by Outdoor Dining Patios - San Diego City Councilmembers voted on Monday to consent to regulations set by the California Coastal Commission that order eateries in "beach impact zones" to replace public parking spaces that have been taken up by outdoor dining. (NBC San Diego)
Seniors are flooding homeless shelters that can't care for them - Cities are building special shelters for the old, and shelters are hiring trained staff to handle a wave of aging baby boomers. (Washington Post)
MIXTAPE
Memorial Day Weekend 2023: 16 Things To Do In & Around Lamorinda
Pick-your-own cherries season has arrived in the Bay Area
Most San Francisco Residents Think the City Is on the Wrong Track
California emerges as big winner in Colorado River water deal
'Persistent' Remote Work Could Slash Office Values By 44%
Job satisfaction hits a three-decade high - but with some red flags
How did the pandemic exodus impact your hometown?
MEANWHILE IN ANOTHER LAFAYETTEA legacy of change: West Lafayette Library director to retire after four decades
AND FINALLY…
The big, ruddy, eye-catching star you've been noticing in the sky has been acting weird lately. It's not just you-Betelgeuse has at times been 50% brighter in recent weeks.
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The Almost Daily Briefing (ADB) is an aggregation of links to news articles from local and regional newspapers, magazines, websites, and other news sources. Its purpose is to alert readers to current issues and affairs that may impact Lafayette. The ADB does not promote, favor, disfavor, support, reject, or endorse any position, candidate, campaign, or proposition, and nothing about the ADB, including the selection, presentation, arrangement, or content of the links presented should be construed as an advocacy position.
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